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A conversion value is the number you attach to a conversion, such as a lead or a booked visit, so an ad platform can measure the business value of your campaigns rather than only the count. Value-based bidding then uses those values to bid for the people likely to bring the most value, and a clinic can set values by funnel stage or broad service group without sending any patient's health details. Curve Compliance, which credits bookings, calls and CRM outcomes to the original ad click under a BAA it signs on every plan, checked Google's own help pages for this guide on November 2, 2026.
Book a call. Need booked visits and CRM outcomes counted against the ads that drove them? Curve Compliance credits bookings, calls and CRM outcomes to the original ad click, sends conversions server-side to Google Ads, Meta and other platforms, and strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.
What a conversion value is
Google puts it this way: “If you assign values to your conversions, you'll be able to learn the total business value that Google Ads generated, rather than simply the number of conversions that have happened. You'll also be able to identify and focus on high-value conversions” (Google).
Without values, a newsletter sign-up and a booked consultation each count as one conversion. With values, Google Ads can tell them apart, report the total value each campaign produced, and let its bid strategies aim for the larger outcome.
Fixed values or values per conversion
Google offers two ways to set values (Google):
| Approach | How Google describes it | When it fits a clinic |
|---|---|---|
| The same value for each conversion | “It's easier to set up but may be less representative of different values of each transaction” (Google) | One fixed value per conversion action, such as one for a form lead and a higher one for a booked visit |
| A different value for each conversion | “you'll need to add dynamic values to your tracking code. This will allow you to record a unique value for each conversion” (Google) | When each outcome carries its own value, such as revenue recorded at a CRM stage |
Google adds that “If you don't add this code, the default value you enter will be used for all conversions” (Google). For most clinics, a fixed value per conversion action is the safer start. It is simple to set up, and it keeps the value from describing one patient's care.
How value-based bidding works
Google says “Value-based bidding enables you to maximize the total value of conversions generated by your campaigns,” and “Google AI optimizes bids in real time to reach people who are likely to bring more value to your business.” You choose what the value stands for, and Google's examples are “sales revenue, profit margins, or lead scores” (Google). Two bid strategies use the values:
- Maximize conversion value. Google says it “will attempt to generate the most conversion value for a given budget. It may bid higher for auctions that would result in greater conversion value than auctions with lower conversion value.” Without a target, it “tries to fully spend your average daily budget” (Google).
- Target ROAS. Google says that “if the bid strategy determines that a user search is likely to generate a conversion with high value, Target ROAS will bid high on that search” (Google). Starting in June 2026, Google is relabeling “Maximize conversion value with a Target ROAS” as “Target ROAS,” and says the bidding behavior stays the same.
Both need values on your conversions first. Google says that before you use Maximize conversion value, “you'll also need to set up conversion tracking with transaction-specific values” (Google).
Setting values for a clinic: by stage, booking or outcome
Google's advice is to “Start by considering the worth of each conversion to your business,” and “If exact values are challenging to determine, utilize proxy values that align with your business priorities” (Google). A clinic rarely knows what a patient is worth at the moment a form is sent, so proxy values by stage work well:
| Stage | Where it comes from | How to set the value |
|---|---|---|
| Form submitted | Your website | A base value, the same for every lead |
| Qualified call | Your call tracking | Near a form lead, or above it if calls book more often |
| Booking completed | Your scheduler | Higher than a lead, since fewer leads book |
| First visit attended | Your EHR or practice software | Higher again |
| Patient converted | Your CRM | Your average first-visit revenue across services |
Google also notes that “Channels like online versus phone calls may be worth something different,” and that “It's generally not recommended to use conversions with 0 values with value based bidding” (Google). The same Google page lists answers on lead forms as a sign of lead quality. On a health site, form answers are the part to keep out of ad platforms, so score leads by stage, not by what the patient wrote. To turn stages into conversions, see CRM lifecycle stages as conversions.
Keeping values free of health details
A value is a number, but it can still say something about a patient. If each treatment carries its own distinct value, the value alone points to the treatment. Keep values at the stage level, or average them across service groups, so no single number stands for one condition or procedure.
The event that carries the value needs the same care. Meta's Business Tools Terms say the names and criteria you set for “your events, conversions, and any custom audiences you create must not reflect, imply or be based on” health information (Meta). HHS says “disclosures of PHI to tracking technology vendors for marketing purposes, without individuals' HIPAA-compliant authorizations, would constitute impermissible disclosures,” and it lists a “medical record number” and “dates of appointments” among the details tracking can pick up (HHS). Which rules apply depends on your setup, so talk to your counsel.
Google's conversion upload has an order ID field, which it describes as “The order ID associated with the conversion” (Google Ads API). Use a random reference there, never a medical record number. For naming the events themselves, see event tracking on a healthcare website.
Sending outcomes back from your CRM or EHR
Most of a clinic's value shows up after the visit starts, in the scheduler, the EHR or the CRM. Google's offline import works like this: “To track offline conversions from clicks, you'll save these IDs along with whatever lead information you collect from the person who clicked your ad.” Later, “you give that GCLID back to Google Ads along with a few details about the type of conversion it was and when it happened” (Google). Google's upload format includes a conversion_value field, “The value of the conversion for the advertiser” (Google Ads API).
Google also says offline conversion imports move to the Data Manager API and are blocked in the Google Ads API starting June 15, 2026 (Google), so check which route your upload uses. See what GCLID is, what a healthcare CRM does and offline conversion import for clinics. If you would rather not build the upload yourself, book a call with Curve's team.
When to wait before using value-based bidding
Value-based bidding needs steady data. Google's own checklist asks you to:
- Track more than one value. Google says to “consistently track 2 or more unique, non-zero values” (Google).
- Upload for a while first. Google says “Before transitioning, consistently upload data for at least 4 weeks or 3 conversion cycles” (Google).
- Reach a minimum volume. Google says “Aim for a minimum of 15 conversions per month at the account level” (Google).
- Pick one goal. Google suggests a funnel stage “with a relatively short conversion delay and at least 15 monthly conversions” (Google).
- Upload often. Google recommends tracking and uploading conversions “ideally on a daily basis” (Google).
Target ROAS has its own floor. For Search campaigns, Google asks for “At least 15 conversions in the past 30 days at the conversion tracking level” (Google). A small practice with a handful of bookings a month may do better bidding on conversion count while volume builds.
How Curve Compliance helps
Curve Compliance brings the outcomes a value strategy needs back to the ad click. It keeps ad attribution when a patient leaves to book in IntakeQ, Calendly, Acuity, Jane App and other schedulers, and bookings made days later still match. It receives outcomes from booking systems, CRMs and call tracking through incoming webhooks, from EHR and intake tools such as Healthie, Athenahealth, OptiMantra, IntakeQ and Jane through Keragon, and from offline conversion uploads, then credits each to the original ad click.
Campaign Reporting puts Meta and Google Ads spend next to Curve-tracked conversions for each campaign, with five attribution models, and HubSpot and WhatConverts outcomes show as CRM revenue and close rate. Conversions go to Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn server-side, each platform receives only a fixed list of fields, and Curve strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform. Curve is SOC 2 Type II, signs a BAA on every plan and does the setup, typically live in about a week.
Sources, checked November 2, 2026: Google Ads Help, About conversion values; Google Ads Help, Value-based Bidding Best Practices; Google Ads Help, About Maximize conversion value bidding; Google Ads Help, About Target ROAS bidding; Google Ads Help, About offline conversion imports; Google Ads API, ClickConversion; Meta Business Tools Terms; HHS, Use of Online Tracking Technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a conversion value?
A conversion value is the number you attach to a conversion, such as a lead or a booked visit, so an ad platform can measure the business value of your campaigns, not only the count. Google says values let you learn “the total business value that Google Ads generated” (Google).
What are conversion values in Google Ads and how do they work?
You give each conversion action a fixed value, or send a value with each conversion, and Google Ads reports the total value your campaigns produced. Bid strategies such as Maximize conversion value and Target ROAS then use those values to set bids (Google).
What is value-based bidding?
Google says “Value-based bidding enables you to maximize the total value of conversions generated by your campaigns” (Google). It bids more for people likely to bring more value, based on the values you report.
Can a conversion value reveal a diagnosis?
It can if each treatment has its own distinct value, because the number then stands for the treatment. Keep values at the funnel stage or averaged across service groups, and keep health details out of event names too (Meta Business Tools Terms).
What value should a clinic give a lead?
Google suggests “proxy values” when exact values are hard to set (Google). One proxy is the share of leads that book multiplied by what a booked visit is worth to you, with higher values for later stages such as an attended visit.
How do I send booked appointments back to Google Ads?
Keep the ad click ID with the lead, then report the booking with that click ID (Google). Curve Compliance keeps the click attached when a patient books in IntakeQ, Calendly, Acuity, Jane App and other schedulers, credits the booking to the original ad click and sends the conversion to Google Ads server-side.
How many conversions do I need for value-based bidding?
Google's checklist asks for at least 15 conversions a month at the account level, and Target ROAS on Search asks for at least 15 in the past 30 days (Google; Google). Below that, bid on conversion count and keep collecting values.
Talk to Curve Compliance
Book a call. Want Google Ads to learn from real bookings and CRM outcomes? Curve Compliance credits each outcome to the original ad click, sends conversions server-side, strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform and signs a BAA on every plan. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.